


A Mistake In The Moonlight

by StarWrites613



Series: Sanders Sides Self Inserts [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, LAMP not really present cause they're not dating yet, The self insert strikes back, Virgil's only mentioned he doesn't show up, go read the real thing this book made me cry my god it's so good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 22:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21063920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarWrites613/pseuds/StarWrites613
Summary: It's so easy to disobey, even when the rules have been engraved into your mindIf only Star had obeyed





	A Mistake In The Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [every other page is a mirror](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15749508) by [SoDoRoses (FairyChess)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyChess/pseuds/SoDoRoses). 

Star knew many things about her family. Whether it be how they act, how many of them there are, or where they come from, she had it all down. Every fact and detail. She loved them all dearly, so of course she'd know them front and back.

Sure they seemed to refuse every time her father offered to go out and visit them. Sure, it was strange that they only ever came to them for the holidays, and never the other way around. And, sure, they didn't really talk about their home much, but she knew it was a simple small town in Ohio. One with around 500 people in it. One with the most beautiful forest no matter the season, and a quaint amount of people who all know each other well. Like a giant family almost.

Wickhills, Ohio, that was the place. She'd heard stories galore, from real events to silly little fairytales her mother told her when she was younger. She practically knew the town just as well as her family.

Or at least, she _thought_ she knew.

The young girl was around three months into eighth grade, her last year of middle school before she'd decent into her final years as a child. It was slightly terrifying to think about, but at the same time Star was ready to just get it over with. She knew what she wanted, and the future couldn't come any sooner it seemed. Everything was planned out.

However, unlike what she had planned, her great grandmother was getting rather sick. Not only that, but everyone except her grandparents were currently out of town, some family trip or other. While of course, Star was beyond upset for her great grandmother, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she was told they were at last going to visit the distant and supposedly _fanciful_ town called Wickhills.

"We're finally gonna see where they live?!" she had asked excitedly at the dinner table, almost entirely forgetting the reason for their visit.

"We have to. Grandma Jackie's getting worse, and no one besides Nan and Pop are their to support her," her mother had explained somberly.

And so, just a week later, Star, along with her parents and little sister found themselves on a flight over to Ohio for the first time in all of the young girl's life.

The town was, well, interesting. Everyone she met seemed to wonder how long they'd be staying. And every time they told "about a week or two" the town seemed to groan with stress. Not only that, but everyone was rather rude. Uptight. Not to mention secretive.

One day while she was roaming around with her cousin Jayci who had stayed behind from the trip due to getting sick, they had passed a nice little, mostly empty park. There they found two other girls around their age, one with a bizarre mess of black fuzz for hair. It looked as if someone had tried brushing it out with a tree branch, only making the thing more knotted.

While Star was never one to be social, she was hoping someone her own age would be willing to talk. But, as they grew near she heard the one with a mess of hair grumble, "That stupid Sanders. Bugs, bugs galore, flying out of my hair! He is _so _lucky that girl is here or I'd-"

Her statement cut off at once as she looked up with wide hazel eyes to see a rather confused Star, as well as a paranoid Jayci at her side. There was a moment of silence, the girls all staring at one another, before the strangers took off, seeming to forget whatever incident had occurred that caused this "Sanders" to put bugs in the poor girl's hair.

The days quickly passed, and the town was proving to be a lot more boring than Star had originally expected. It wasn't as if she was waiting to see a fae appear out of no where and jinx her. Those were only the childish tales her mother told her. She was just hoping it'd be nice and quaint. A simple lovely town. Though the closer they grew to the day of departure, the more she wanted to just go home.

Unfortunately for everyone, her great grandmother passed the day before. Not only was everyone in agony, but the trip was extended until further notice.

Star couldn't help but feel horribly guilty as she blamed her great grandmother for making her stay longer, even if tears were in her eyes as she thought it.

~~~

"Mary, we can't do this. You know exactly why we can't! You grew up here for crying out loud!"

"And I grew up just fine, didn't I? We'll teach them the tricks, everything they need to know, they'll grow up just fine. Besides, Star is nearly 14, she's mature enough. You know how excited she was to come here!"

"That was because she didn't know anything about this place!"

It was her parents. They had been arguing downstairs for the past, eh, thirty minutes or so. It had been awful, but curiosity killed the cat, and right now Star was that cat, sitting at the top of the stairs with a destroyed expression.

Her mother wanted them to move. To stay here, period. No going back home. Stuck with all these rude people who wouldn't even look at her, not to mention constantly being reminded of her great grandma passing.

But that didn't even seem to be the worry her father had.

He constantly brought of this "_danger_" of the town, though he wouldn't dare name whatever it was. He was clearly afraid of it, but Star just couldn't fathom what was so deadly about this town.

"Mary, you do not need to stay here. Besides, the girls have their own lives, we can't just drag them into this mess and expect that they'll be fine!" Nan argued, agreeing with her father down in what Star assumed was the kitchen.

"They _will_ be fine. I know they will. And, we can visit! Besides, you know what they say. No one leaves Wickhills forever. I just, we need to do this. I can't leave you here!"

"We'll be fine, Mary! We've got Chad and Jocelyn, we don't need you doing this for us."

"I _know_ that! I just can't...can't leave you. It's so hard being away so often, and lying to them why we can't come visit you! Please, Mom, let me do this." Her mother sounded on the virge of tears, and terror was eating Star alive as she waited for a reply.

_Say no, say no, say no, say no, say no, say no._

A reluctant sigh flew through the air, and after a moment, bother Nana and Scott let out a pained, "Fine."

"Guess Wickhills is our new home," her father nearly whined, but nothing except fear was in his tone.

For Star the feeling was mutual.

~~~

"Remember what I told you. Keep you boots on at all times and-"

"And always keep the daisy in your pocket, I got it, Nan," Star groaned, shoving her hand into said pocket to fiddle with the flower.

"I know, I know, just, stay safe. And if you need help, you ask any of the teachers. They know what to do."

Star still couldn't believe this was happening.

Yes the fact that it was official, they were moving was surprising. Her father was currently back home, packing things up while her mom had decided they stay there, just letting him do all the work. Yes, the fact that today she was going to start her first day of eighth grade at Wickhills and she'd never see her friends again was insane.

But that wasn't what she was hooked up on.

The supposed "danger" her father had been talking about. All those stories and adventures, as well as warnings her mother had given. They were all _real_. It was ridiculous. Star knew it was. Yet everyone in her family was so insistent that it was real. So much so that she was forced to wear boots with iron on the bottom. That she had to keep a daisy in her pocket. It was confounding, really. So much so that she was sure her family was just playing her. Some joke to lighten up all the dreary events that had lately occurred.

Yet, if that were the case, why were they acting so serious? Like they were sending them out to war rather than to school?

She couldn’t dwell on it. Her mind was already racing just going to school. She couldn’t handle conspiracy theories that fairies and magic and whatnot were all real.

The community of Wickhills was a rather small one. So much so, that Star’s family was lucky there was a house to purchase, even more lucky it was two houses down from her grandparents. The community was so small, that all the school buildings shared the same campus. The elementary, middle, and high school were all in the same circle, small paths connecting each other to make it even more fitting.

Star almost felt like she was going to college there were so many kids, walking onto campus to see kindergarteners and seniors alike. It would’ve been easy to get lost in the crowd, yet at the same time it felt as if barely anyone was even there. At least it did compared to her old school, where she had nearly 50 kids in every period.

“Please be careful, S. I just don’t want you getting hurt,” Jayci warned, about to head off to the high school, which was right nearby. The girl was the same age, only seven months older, so unfortunately she was a freshman while Star was still finishing up junior high. The two had always been close from a young age, even if Star didn’t get to see her as often as she wanted. But sometimes Jayci always acted like she was years older, filled with knowledge and worry as she treated her cousin like a toddler.

“I’ll be fine, Jayci. Nothing in there that’ll kill me,” she grumbled, and she pretended not to notice the flinch her cousin gave in response.

With a quick hug, Jayci was running off towards the slightly larger building, giving a quick, “Love you!” as she went. Star stood there for a moment, watching Jayci disappear into the crowds. She turned around to see the elementary building, where her sister would no doubt make friends with everyone at once, like she always did.

With a huff, Star turned to her own building, grumbling a small, “Let’s go,” before walking soberly inside. She didn’t want to be a Debby Downer of any kind, but she just couldn’t help it. At least she wasn’t Lydia from Beetlejuice, dressed in all black thanks to her mourning. Though, perhaps a big dark blue hoodie and jeans weren’t much of an upgrade.

To the girl’s surprise, the building was a lot bigger than expected. Not to mention confusing. It felt like she was walking in circles, getting lost in the maze of tiled hallways. By the time she reached her locker, the late bell had already rang. “Oh, perfect,” she commented dryly, feeling the panic pool into her system.

Nearly thirty minutes later she at last came across the door that read “Mrs.Edelman.” Taking a moment to not only catch her breath, but also to scold herself for not asking for help, she tenderly opened the door.

And of course the whole class stared at her as if she had just murdered someone. Leading to the words flying out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“I am so so sorry I am late I got lost and I should’ve asked for directions but everyone else was already at class and oh my goodness I am so sorry mam,” she rambled, feeling her face quickly heat up as some students began to laugh softly.

“Oh, it’s perfectly fine, dear!” her new..what class was this? It took Star a moment to realize it was English, and also to realize her teacher had continued talking. “-a good seat,” the woman finished, pointing at one of the many empty seats. In fact, there was barely anyone in the classroom, which was good for Star. Less people to embarrass herself in front of.

“Thank you,” she muttered softly before shuffling over to her assigned spot. Sitting down, she let out another breath, though the teacher didn’t seem to be through with her.

“Why don’t you speak with Sadie? She can catch you up on the assignment,” Mrs.Edelman offered, and Star looked at her desk to see a simple white worksheet resting there, waiting for her. She looked from the paper to the girl named Sadie, who had dirty blonde hair and a snobby smile on her face. Her grin was all teeth, a forced smile to Star’s direction. That was when she realized this was the girl that was with the black haired one, with the fuzzy hair.

As her new teacher continued with the class, Sadie scooted her desk slightly closer, that plastered smile glued to her face. “Hi,” was her introduction, tone song-like as if she was the cheeriest person on the planet.

“Uh, hi,” Star replied awkwardly, still trying to decide if she liked this girl or not. She had never been a new kid before. The only time she was new was in kindergarten, when everyone was a new kid. So it was really weird for someone to have to explain what was going on to her. “So, um, what’re we doing?” she asked softly, not wanting to disrupt the class more than she already had.

“Eh, simple boring stuff. You just read the informative on fae and then answer the questions,” the girl replied, her smile falling flat as she rolled her eyes tiredly. Thankfully, the eye roll didn’t seem pointed in her direction, for she grew happy once more when looking at Star.

“Narrative,” she suddenly spat out, not thinking about it at all.

“What?” Sadie replied, tone slightly strained. Star let out an awkward cough, feeling her cheeks yet again grow warm.

“I um, you said the article is about fae, so it’s, um, y’know, narrative. Since fae aren’t real and stuff,” she explained softly, her gaze slowly dropping to her lap with embarrassment. Yes her whole family told her it was all real. Didn’t mean she was gonna believe it.

To Star’s surprise, the girl just burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with her pale hand in an attempt to muffle them. “S-Sorry, it’s just, I, I forgot you’re the _new_ girl. It’s weird to have someone new to the town,” she said, as if that explained her reaction.

Star opened her mouth to reply, with what she had no clue, before being cut off by Sadie. “Though fae are real. It’s nice to finally be able to tell you that. Everyone’s been so stressed about you guys living here, we’ve never had newbies come before. So you better get used to this place.” Star’s mouth promptly shut at that.

Was that why everyone here was so rude and paranoid? Because they were scared of her family finding out about this supposed “secret” of theirs? So it was all real?

“Prove it,” she suddenly commanded, seeming to have no filter on her mouth today. Sadie smirked, as if she had been waiting for Star to ask for an example. Suddenly the girl’s line of vision passed her, staring smugly as whomever sat to the right of Star. So, naturally, she began to turn, only for Sadie to stop her, pulling her in and giving gossip Star hadn’t meant to ask for.

“The boy to the right of you. Wheeler. He’s one of the freaks who’ve been cursed by the fae.” Star couldn’t help her blue eyes widening at this new info, nor could she help the guilt that filled her when Sadie called him a freak. “When he was like four or something this fae came, saying she had a present for his dad, who had been kind to her when he was young. She grabbed him by the throat and gave him the voice of a siren, you can see the mark if you look close enough.”

“A siren?” Star echoed, trying to wrap her head around this tale that sounded so fictional yet was supposedly true.

“Yeah, he sings like an angel or whatever, but if he gives you any command, you will do it. You don’t get a choice. First day of kindergarten he controlled Chad Pennybacker like a puppet. No one goes near him unless you wanna get controlled. Besides the other freaks that is,” she explained simply, seemingly not noticing how loud her voice was getting.

Star shrank in her chair slightly as she pulled away, and couldn’t help but turn to her right, just barely, to get a peek at this “freakish” boy named Wheeler. And the image broke her into pieces.

He was a boy with light and gorgeous golden curls, flying this way and that like clouds in the sky. His face was pale and dotted with seemingly thousands of freckles, standing out by the growing red on his cheeks. From what she could see behind his sturdy black glasses, he seemed to have impossibly light blue eyes, and Star internally yelled at herself when she wondered if it was part of his curse. But what broke her heart was the tears pooling in his eyes, nearly spilling out yet somehow staying in. He was muttering something incoherent under his breath, like a chant to keep himself from crying.

Star felt as if she might cry herself with the heart-wrenching scene. She turned back to Sadie, her frown more evident than before, and it sickened her how satisfied the grin on Sadie’s face was. “So yeah, fae are real, and make sure you stay away from the fr-”

Sadie’s proud statement was interrupted by the agonizingly loud screeching of a chair being scratched against the tile floor. The whole class turned to the two of them, but Star was too determined to notice. She continued schooching her whole desk over until she was right next to Wheeler, who was looking at her with equal confusion.

Once finished, she looked around the class, her confidence quickly draining as her cheeks burned red. “S-Sorry, continue,” she stammered, and to her pure relief the teacher simply shrugged, continuing the lesson.

“Can, um, can I help you?” Wheeler suddenly asked, her heart tearing a little more at how hoarse his voice was.

“Yes, you can actually,” she replied once clearing her throat, slowly gaining confidence once more. “You’re Wheeler, right?”

The boy in question blinked, taking a moment before spitting out a soft, “Yeah, that’s my last name. I’m Patton, Patton Wheeler.” Star tried to send a grin his way, but he suddenly seemed scared.

“I was wondering if you could help me with the assignment?” she asked casually, as if this wasn’t the oddest conversation both of them had ever had. His expression dimmed some more, and Star tried to cool the panic that shot through her.

“Cause I’d know a lot about fae, right?” he asked dejectedly, and Star tried to brighten her smile so much that her jaw began to hurt.

“Nah, the girl I was working with is just a jerk,” she explained simply, and Patton’s expression grew with surprise. “I’m not one for gossips who like to diss others, and you seem a lot nicer sooooo.” She dragged out the last word, slowly drifting off as she waited expectantly.

“Are, are you sure? It, um, you don’t have to.”

“Positive.”

The smile that grew on her new friend’s face fixed her torn heart at once.

~~~

Lunch.

It was such a cliche, standing there with a tray (or in this case lunchbox) of food and looking out, desperate for a lonely place to sit. Star now understood how every movie character ever felt.

Her and Patton had hit it off just fine. It took him a few minutes to trust her, including at least five apologies from Star, and once he started to open up they really got along. He had to be the sweetest guy she had ever met, and it was a shame she didn’t have any more classes with him for the first half of the day.

So now it was the struggle of lunch.

The plan was to search for Patton, and then hope he wouldn’t mind dealing with her company some more while they ate. She hadn’t been social with anyone else that day, so he was the only one she had.

And just as that thought soared into her mind, she spotted his golden curls.

Tentatively, she walked closer to his table only to find he was sitting with two other boys. One of them was rather loud and charming, a white shirt with red long sleeves catching her attention. The other, who was sitting to the right of Patton, seemed a lot more calm and collected, a pair of glasses nearly identical to Pat’s sitting on his nose.

Great, more people she can bother.

It took her at least three minutes to make it over to the table, and she was sure it would’ve been longer had one of the lunch ladies not yelled at her to take a seat. The cafeteria was a lot quieter than what she was used to, but still loud enough that the loud boy with the red and white shirt couldn’t hear her when she called out a hello.

Thankfully, Patton noticed, his face shining with adorable excitement as he jumped out of his seat, spooking the boy next to him.

“Patton, what on Earth-”

“STAR!” he cried with joy, interrupting the calm one with a giant grin. He ran around the table to come forward and entrap her in a rib-crushing hug. Yep, he definitely opened up to her in that hour.

A surprised chuckle left her as she hugged back, her galaxy lunchbox hanging around her wrist heavily. “Hey, Pat,” was her only reply, though her smile was bright as he pulled away.

Suddenly the boy with red and white stood up, a large smile on his own face as he arched a confident brow. Now closer up Star could see he had smooth tan skin, hazel eyes popping out of his sockets. He had simple brown hair swept to the side, but you could tell how confident he was with the Disney-prince grin he gave. “Who may you be?” he asked simply, his interest seemingly peaked.

“This is Star! The girl I was telling you about?” Patton explained, and the girl in question felt her cheeks heat up at the fact that he was talking about her to his friends.

“It’s, heh, nice to meet you,” she greeted sheepishly, and was taken by surprise when the boy dramatically bowed before straightening up and shaking her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied sweetly, and he really was like a prince attempting to woo her.

Suddenly a scoff was heard, and Star’s red face turned to see the other with glasses roll his grey eyes. “Roman, is there nothing you can do other than flirt?” he asked incredulously, making Star blush some more.

The boy now named Roman huffed, releasing Star’s hand (which plopped pathetically to her side out of embarrassment) and crossed his arms, facing the other with a small smile. “You’re only jealous it’s to her and not you,” he teased, and somehow it didn’t affect the other in the slightest.

“Falsehood,” was his only response before turning to Star herself. “Hello, my name is Logan. Patton has told us about you and it is nice to meet the new student so soon. May I ask why you came over?” he asked quickly and factually, making Star’s head spin for a moment.

“Oh, uh, I was just wondering if I could, if you guys don’t mind of course, don’t wanna intrude, but um, lunch? Er, well, to sit, and eat lunch, here?” Star tried to ignore how embarrassingly hard it was for her to spit that statement out.

“Of course! It’s perfectly fine,” Patton replied cheerily as he walked back around the table, sitting next to Logan once more. Roman sat down as well, sliding to the left so he was now across Logan. He patted the spot next to him and sent a more casual and cheerful smile her way. With a breath of relief, Star took her seat, opening up her lunchbox quickly, seeing as they only had about twenty minutes left to eat.

For a few moments, all was quiet, the group silently eating their food in one of the most awkward silences Star had ever experienced. But just a moment later the three picked up whatever conversation they had been having beforehand, and Star happily watched as she ate her PB&J.

"So, Star, what are you into?" Roman had suddenly asked, taking her by surprise as she had been drifting off into her thoughts.

"Oh, um, y'know, writing, uh, acting, Disney, singing, that kinda stuff," she replied casually, setting her Dr.Pepper down as she did so. Her eyes soared up and made eye contact with the charming boy, and his expression definitely confused her.

"You like acting?! And Disney?! And singing?!" he asked quickly, scooting closer each question he asked. Star felt her face grow warm as she began sliding back, worrying she would fall off any second.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I do too!" he cried with glee, and Roman stayed in place for a moment before backing up with that everlasting grin. "Do you do choir?"

It took the girl a moment to gather herself, giving a small, "Yeah," before biting into some chips. "Fifth period."

"So we'll have a class together too! That's wonderful!" Roman cheered, giving a clap of his hands for emphasis. A small giggle left Patton as he leaned more towards the table.

"Now we can see you both sing!" he said, equally joyful. Star smiled, though she looked towards Logan, the only calm one of this group it seemed, and sent him a look that read "Is it always like this?"

He sent a small smile back, as if saying, "You get used to it."

The conversation continued for a few minutes more, and Star tried to ignore the agitation coming from her pants pocket. She had almost forgotten about the daisy half-hazardly shoved in there, but it was making its presence known now. 

After many failed attempts to ignore it, she let out a small huff, taking it out and resting it next to her food on the table. With that out of the way, she slapped the grin right back on her face and turned to her friends.

Only to see them all staring at the daisy frozen, especially Logan. "Is, um, is something wrong?" she asked nervously, noticing the collected boy's nose twitch slightly.

"Oh, no, it's all fine! Just, um, the uh, daisy?" Patton tried to explain, but that only left Star more confused.

"Yeah?" she asked back with pure confusion.

"Logan has a, um, he... has an allergy with daisies! Yeah, so, he just gets sniffly around them," Roman explained, though it seemed like he was making it up. That was until Logan let out a small sneeze, barely covering it with his arm.

"Excuse me," he mumbled, pressing down his shirt nervously.

"Oh, sorry!" Star replied, taking the daisy and shoving it off the table, watching as it dejectedly fell onto the seat next to her. She quickly grabbed it, standing up with a guilty expression. "Here, I'll go ahead and throw it away, not like I'll need it."

As fast as the girl could she walked over to the trashcan, dropping the forgotten flower in there before heading right back over. The boys, once she returned, seemed to be discussing something, leaned closer to each other and whispering quickly.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, and the question sounded more sarcastic than she intended.

"No, in fact, there is something we need to tell you, Star," Logan replied at once, gesturing for her to sit down once again.

"Oh, okay, what's up?"

"You um, know what Sadie said? About my, y'know, fae thing?" Patton started awkwardly, pulling down his collar slightly to reveal a white handprint across his throat. Star couldn't help but stare at it for a moment before nodding, arching a confused brow.

"What about it? I told you I don't mind," she said simply before cutting herself off, realizing there was something magic related.

"I'm a changeling," Logan told suddenly, and Star blinked with surprise.

"A...a what?"

"A changeling. You may have heard of them. A type of fae that are swapped with human children when they are young. I was switched with my brother Thomas, and when my parents re-obtained him, they also decided to keep me," he explained casually, but his voice was rushed the more he spoke. Star could only blink again, looking at Logan closer than before.

He did have slightly pointy ears.

And rather pale skin.

Not to mention his eyes were the dullest grey she had ever seen.

She didn't really know how to respond to the situation. What the proper reply was. But her's definitely wasn't it. "Cool!"

The group did a double-take at her statement. "Cool?" Roman repeated nervously.

"Well, I guess, not cool? But um, like, that's fine! I don't, y'know, mind or anything, if that's what you guys were worried about," she clarified, her words getting lost and twisted on her tongue.

"Really?" Logan asked with surprise, as if he was expecting her to call him a freak and walk away.

"Really," Star echoed, making sure her expression was sincere.

"Cool," he replied back, a newfound smile on his face.

~~~

4 years.

It was insane to think that they had met four years ago. That they were now in their senior year, nearly done with school. So many things had happened over those four years, like being introduced to Roman's secret fairy prince, or Logan mysteriously being able to leave town for a little before it abruptly stopped.

By now, Star was used to all the magical mayhem that was Wickhills, Ohio. She had to get used to it, hanging out with the people she hangs out with. But that didn't make her any less naive than when she first came here.

Overtime Star had come to terms with the fact that magic and fae are real. She hadn't come to terms with the fact that they're dangerous, however. No matter how many stories she was told, no matter how many warnings she was given, she just didn't want to believe they were all bad. And it terrified her friends and family because of it.

The new moon had just appeared a few days ago, and luckily Star was smart enough to at least avoid new and full moons, so her family wasn't paranoid with the fact she was outside at 11:37 at night. She had just wanted to sit in their nice open green backyard, stare into the ominous forest behind her home. The crescent moon shined overhead, giving little light to the trees before her. It was no secret that the woods of Wickhills were gorgeous, and even at night they proved that claim.

So the seventeen-year-old girl just sat on her porch steps, right in front of the iron gate that protected her home, and watched the dark trees sway side to side, hiding whatever magic lied in them.

"_Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green. When I am king, dilly dilly, you'll be my queen,_" she hummed softly, a smile on her face as she remembered the nursery rhyme. The forest seemed to dance with her rhythm.

"_Who told me so, dilly dilly, who told me so? I told myself, dilly dilly, I told me so,_" she continued, slowly standing, walking down the old wooden steps before twirling onto the smooth grass. Back where she lived they had barely had a square of grass, and it was disgusting at that. But here, all of nature thrived, and even if it meant fae lived in the woods, Star was living for it.

"_Lavender's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue. If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you_." A slide to the left, a turn to the right. She hummed a few bars, continuing to make up her own dance. Either it was living in such a fanciful night or how tired the girl was, but she felt whimsical as she danced about, magic swirling about, whether it be metaphorically or literally.

"_I love to dance, dilly dilly, I love to sing. When I am queen, dilly...._dilly." Her words paused as she realized there was another voice humming along. Her body went frigid as she turned to the woods of before, a short simple line being sung by an enchanting male voice.

"_You'll be my king._ You know, you skipped a few verses here and there. Though I won't complain, for your voice makes up for it." Star just stood there, not even taking in the compliment as a hooded figure came from the shadows. The being in question had a simple black cloak hiding his face, so that only a sly grin could be seen and nothing more.

It must've been at least a minute of silence before Star finally got the courage to speak. And even then it wasn't much. "W-Who are you?" she asked, voice hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in years.

"I know you haven't lived here as long as most, but surely you know fae's don't just give up their names that easily," he retorted, voice as teasing as ever.

Star just stood there. She really had no idea how to respond. What she should be doing. The only fae she had ever interacted with was Logan, and Logan barely acted like a fae. The fae let out a soft sigh, though his smile didn't falter in the slightest.

"Usually, and let me know if you're lost, conversations have to have to people talking back and forth," he informed sarcastically, and Star couldn't even scoff.

"I, um, sorry. It's just, I've never....interacted? With um, fae before," she stuttered, her feet glued to the grass below.

"Well that's not true. You hang out with both the changeling and the siren boy, don't you?" he asked with a knowing look, or at least it seemed to be a knowing look, since Star still couldn't see anything except his sharp smile.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily count them as fae," she retorted before freezing once again, trying to remind herself that this was a fae, and not a random person to be sarcastic with. "How..how do you know I hang out with them?" she asked softly after a moment.

"Word gets around the forest. Besides, the changeling is often a topic of conversation, especially since he attends our revels," was the fae's response, and Star flinched yet again.

"Logan goes to those things?" she asked before shrinking, knowing there was a better way to word it.

"If it makes you feel better, he doesn't have much of a choice."

"Why would that make me feel better?" she questioned harshly and _Jesus Christ could she not shut her mouth?!_

The being just shrugged noncommittally, rolling back and forth on the ball of his feet. Now Star may not have a clue what fae act like, but she hadn't really been expecting this. He seemed so calm and casual, like it wasn't odd he was having this conversation with this random girl near midnight. Yet at the same time, he clearly was planning something, the devilish grin made it clear.

"Can, can I ask you why you're here?" Star was tentative to ask anything really, but she couldn't just stand there and wait to be cursed, or however this worked.

"Only if I can ask you one back," he retorted, and after a paranoid second the girl shakily nodded her head. "Well, to put it simply, your voice attracted me here."

"What?" she asked, and honestly she was surprise. She wasn't the one with the voice of a siren, after all. If anything, she sang averagely, but definitely not well enough to attract a fae. And what did he mean by attract?

"The song you sang. It is quite a beautiful lullaby. And it suits your voice. How could I not come over to see who owned such pipes?" he flattered, and Star couldn't help the red that crawled onto her face. The fae's smirk grew.

"I, I don't know if you're talking to the right person. Patton sings much better than me, Roman too, for that matter. I'm not that grand," she replied sheepishly, and God did she feel foolish for shrugging off a compliment from a _fae_. She knew this wasn't supposed to be so casual, and yet here they were.

"You are you're own worse critic," the fae commented before leaning back, though the hood still hid his face despite the shining moon above. "Now my question," Star braced herself, "what do you think of fae?"

She blinked. Again, she didn't really know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't that. "I, um, well, they're alright, I guess."

"Oh don't lie to me," he snapped, just enough anger in his tone to make Star flinch back. He straightened himself out, his smile turning to an apologetic frown. "Sorry. I just want your honest opinion, is all."

Thank God she honestly didn't hate fae. So far anyway.

"Um, well, they're kinda scary, I guess. Definitely intimidating. But I've never had an experience with them before, well before now. I just, I don't wanna judge someone I've never talked to."

"So you don't hate fae?" the figure questioned, and he sounded genuinely curious.

"No. I don't, honestly," she replied softly, and she watched as a more natural grin grew on the fae's face.

"Well then, what do you _like_ about fae?"

What she liked? Star barely even knew anything about fae, despite living there for four years. Hell, she her knowledge was so small Logan once made her a stack of notecards to look over in her free time (which of course she didn't, which clearly was a mistake.) "I guess, they're interesting?"

"How so?" the fae asked, that teasing tone reappearing.

"I mean, I've always found magic to be cool. The idea of having powers in general is neat. While the fae, from what I've been told, don't use their powers in the _nicest_ of ways, it's still interesting. I mean, the forest is so beautiful thanks to them, right?" she commented, though she was actually asking if she was right.

"So you're a fan of magic?"

"I guess you could say that yeah. Ever since I was little and my mom told me stories about fae."

"You wouldn't happen to be jealous of Logan and Patton then, would you?" he suddenly asked, his grin turning malicious.

To Star's surprise, she snarled, sudden anger appearing out of no where. "I'd never be jealous of them! They both hate having magic! They hate it everyday! That, that's, that'd be sickeningly selfish for me to be jealous of them!" she cried. A moment passed and she slapped a hand over her mouth, blue eyes widening with terror.

But the fae just smiled, crossing his black sleeve-covered arms calmly. "Good answer," he said, confusing the girl greatly. A chuckle left the strange creature, and he let out a content sigh. "You know, most humans are awful. Greedy, rude, selfish, and much more. But you...well you're different. Not that you aren't rude, or sometimes selfish, but the fact that you try not to be. It's a nice difference."

"...Thank you?" Star replied unsurely, feeling the unease of earlier sink back in.

"May I ask you another question?" he then asked, increasing the panic that filled her chest.

"Sure."

"What's your name?"

This fae had to be the weirdest creature alive. She opened her mouth to reply before one simple sentence filled her brain. One that not only had her mother and grandmother told her, but as well as all three of her friends.

_"Never tell a fae your name."_

Her mouth closed, opened again, and then closed again. "Is there a problem?" the fae asked, and she bristled at the proud smile he wore.

"I'm not supposed to tell you my name." The way she said it wasn't defensive. It wasn't even angry in the slightest. It was almost disappointed, like she was telling him they couldn't hang out.

"Why, you've already told me all of your friends' names, what's wrong with adding yours to the pile?" he then asked, and Star froze with terror. She hadn't even thought about that. Sure, Logan would be okay, maybe even Patton would be fine. But _Roman_? She had just put him in danger without even thinking! God, how could she be so stupid.

"Shit," was the first thing to leave her mouth, which led to the fae chuckling softly.

"It's only fair to your friends," he reprimanded lightly, and the girl felt her lips curl into a frown. 

Her first conversation with a fae and she had already been duped. _It's only fair_, her mind repeated, and with a shaky breath, she gave a soft, "Star."

"Star, what a beautiful name for a beautiful singer," he commented happily.

"What about you?" she spat out, and for the first time, the fae froze.

"What about me?" he asked swiftly, and Star noticed the edge of defense in his tone.

"What should I call you? It's only fair," she replied, trying to push forward any confidence she had, shaking in her boots on the inside.

The fae slowly smiled once more, giving a slight nod of his head. "You're right. You can call me...Dee. I think it's a fair start," he told, and while Star wanted to argue that no, it wasn't fair she gave her whole name and he only gave the first letter, she knew better.

"Anymore questions, Dee?" she asked after a moment, and a strange twinge of satisfaction ran through her as she watched him flinch.

"Two more, then I think I'll be on my way. Though I do enjoy your company," he commented, and unfortunately Star couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Ask away then," she replied softly. There was another moment of silence, and Star silently debated if she should take a seat or not. The debate was interrupted, however, when Dee walked forward, coming quite a bit closer than before, but not uncomfortably so. Though, to Star, and closer than he was was uncomfortable.

"Have you heard of the _Serpent King_?" he asked sneakily, and the girl's whole being shook at the mention of his name.

"You mean the most powerful fae? The guy who rules the whole forest? Aka the most intimidating being I've ever heard of?" was her response. To her surprise, but by now Star knew this creature was full of surprises, he broke out in a small fit of laughter, that grin never leaving his face.

"I suppose that's one way of putting him. Though I'm relieved you know of him. I was starting to worry you know nothing of us fae," he explained, but something about that statement felt off. Like that wasn't the only reason he had asked.

Star felt the panic spread throughout her, and she knew she needed to get inside soon. Just one more thing, and then this whole conversation would be over. She'd be safe, and she could pretend like nothing ever happened.

"Star," he suddenly called, and just like Dee had she flinched as he said her name. "I like to think we've gotten to know one another well over the course of this evening. You've proven you're kinder than most, and I think you deserve a gift."

Oh shit.

The girl was once again frozen in place, just as she had been at the start of all of this. A gift? That was the worse thing, at least in Star's eyes. She had heard many stories of the fae over her time living in Wickhills, but the one that always stuck with her was Patton's. His supposed "Fairy Godmother" giving him that "gift" of a siren's voice. The one he hated so much. The gift that made him think he was a monster anytime he accidentally controlled others. It pained her to see her friend in so much pain when it was brought up, and she knew if anything, it was a curse.

So Rule #1 of fae. Never accept their gifts.

"I, um, that's very kind of you, Dee, but I really don't deserve a gift. I'm really not as nice as you're making me seem. I'm rather bratty, and rude, I don't deserve your kindness, especially a gift," she rambled quickly, trying to hide the clear terror in her voice. Dee just smiled, taking another step forward. It felt like Star's feet were one with the floor, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't step back.

"I know your scared. I know you think I'll curse you, just like what happened to Patton," he said simply. There was a pause before his voice softened. "And I promise that's not what I'm doing here. I honestly just want to do something nice. Something to make you realize how special you truly are," he explained, and it killed Star how sincere he was sounding.

She knew he could do it whether she trusted him or not. He could just grab her by the arm and do what he pleases.

Yet he was asking for her _permission_.

Star couldn't believe she was doing this. She was absolutely insane for doing this. "Alright, I'll accept your gift."

Dee's smile shined brightly, excitement and relief seeming to flood his features. He took a gloved hand and raised it towards the smiling moon, grabbing at it as if he could take the whole moon and hand it to her. Bringing his hand down, he opened it to reveal a pile of dust. Sparkly grey dust. "This is just for show, really," he commented with a smirk as he threw the dust up. It seemed to freeze in midair for a moment before slowly descending back down, shimmering as it went.

He snapped his fingers happily.

And then everything went wrong.

Pain suddenly burst through Star as if something was tearing her apart from the inside out. She keeled over in agony, groaning as she shut her eyes tight. Dee didn't laugh chaotically. He didn't make some snarky comment of why you shouldn't trust fae. He just stood there silently, watching as Star fell to her knees, tears threatening to spill as she begged for it to stop.

And then it did.

It wasn't an abrupt stop. The pain had slowly died out. Her ears were ringing, her brain screaming about a splitting headache. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't dead, that was for sure. Suddenly, a gloved hand appeared before her, and she realized it was Dee's.

"Perhaps I should've warned you about that part," he said, though there was no guilt in his voice. Star gingerly took hold of his hand, noticing her own skin seemed twice as pale. Standing up, the world began to spin, and she fell forward, the fae catching her with ease.

"What...d-did you do?" she struggled to ask, blinking repeatedly to try and calm her vision.

"I gave you my gift. It'll take some time to get used to, but I know you'll love it once you do."

"Get used to what?" she questioned softly, taking her time to straighten up. Dee kept a hand on her shoulder, but with another he suddenly pulled out a small mirror, handing it over to her.

Star didn't know why, but she was scared to grab the mirror. Scared what he did to her. But curiosity did kill the cat, and as always, Star was that cat. Slowly, she grabbed the mirror and brought it forward.

Only to nearly drop the mirror a second later.

She, well, it, God, her mind was racing with what he had done to her. She was a _fae_. At least, she looked like one. Her skin was so pale it looked like a luminescent blue in the light of the moon. Her ears were pointed, just like Logan's had been from the first day they met. The girl's eyes were no longer a calm blue, but a pale yellow, the color of stars in children's books. And to top it all off, a strand of her hair was the same yellow color, clashing against her dark brown hair. It reminded her of Anna, almost. Only much, much worse.

"What did you do to me?!" she asked again, panic replacing the pain of before.

"I granted you with magic. I figured you like it. But don't worry, it's only at night. This way, we can spend more time together. And you can do the things you admired others for doing!" Dee explained, and he said it like he had saved her life. Like she was the luckiest girl alive to get this _gift_ of his.

"Go away," she suddenly said, the panic eating at her so much her vision was clouded.

"What?" he asked in return, and she couldn't decide if he sounded angry or hurt.

"Go, away," she repeated, her voice the same level, but with a whole new force of anger as she shoved the mirror into his chest. So much force that it knocked his hood back, revealing a burnt scar down half of his face.

Oh you have _got _to be _kidding_.

Dee was the _Serpent King_?! She let herself get tricked by the most powerful and threatening being out of everyone in this entire forest? God, how could, how could-

"How could I be so **_stupid_**?!" she cried, and it scared her that her tone turned threatening and unnatural as her anger boiled.

"I'll let you cool down. I told you it will take some time to get used to," Dee commented, and she could see his piercing yellow eyes scrunch with satisfactory as he hugged the mirror close.

"God dammit **_go away_**_**!!**_" she cried, her voice seeming to shake around them.

"As you wish, Star. I hope you enjoy your gift." She blinked, seething with an amount of anger she had never felt before, and

He disappeared.

Leaving the newly transformed fae all by herself.

Star paced for a few moments. She tried grabbing at her hair, but every time she brushed against her pointed ears she'd throw her hands back down to her sides, gripping her sides tightly.

Panic. That was all she could feel. Utter panic, and anger, and self-hatred, and so many emotions that were bubbling up in her chest. She had to let it out. She was scared of what would happen if she _didn’t_ let it out.

So, she turned towards the forest. The same forest she had been admiring only moments ago. And with a shout of anger she could barely control, she threw her hands forward.

And it sent the first tree she saw _flying_. It was ripped right off its trunk and into the air, flying at least fifty feet before landing onto the ground with a giant thud. Star stared at the now lonely trunk with terror, frozen. Waiting for someone to come out and shriek with terror.

But no one did. Because every smart person knows you stay inside at night, and do whatever you can to _avoid_ the fae.

Star couldn’t help it as the tears began pouring from her eyes. She tried to contain herself, try to pull herself together. But she just couldn’t. Her fear was too powerful. What would her family think? What would her friends think? That she had trusted a fae? Despite all their countless warnings? The thought of them finding out terrified her very soul.

It might’ve been ten minutes, it might’ve been an hour, but eventually she stopped crying, her face sticky and eyes burning. She let out a sigh, some magical internal clock letting her know it was 1:48 in the morning. No one in her house would be awake as far as she knew. So, she could sneak back in, hide in her room, and wait until morning. Dee had said it was only at night.

And Star was praying he had been telling the truth.

Dejectedly, the girl walked up to her iron gate, not thinking as she placed her hand on the knob to softly open it. It was like her brain was shocked awake as a burning sensation came to her hand. With a yelp she jumped back, looking to see there was an actual burn mark on her hand. “Shit, fae and iron,” she mumbled, feeling the lump in her throat grow.

She stared at the gate for a moment, wondering if she could try jumping over it. Or try ignoring the pain, rushing in as quick as possible. But a second later her shoulders slumped and she let herself fall forward, some invisible barrier above the gate catching her, not letting her pass whatsoever.

That night Star simply cried herself to sleep, sitting on her porch, as far away from the broken stump as she could be without burning herself. From that night forward Star had changed entirely. Her amount of trust in others, her daily dose of stress, not to mention a new blonde streak of hair, that despite all her attempts, would never leave.

But to others it would seem like she had just fallen asleep outside, and burned herself while making breakfast, eyes red from being so tired. And the stump?

Why people just blamed it on the fae.

And they weren’t exactly wrong to do so.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually like this self insert a lot more then the others (I worked harder on it lol)  
Also, I finished the book, and I realized Deceit actually kisses people when he makes a deal??? No idea why, but he does, but I'm do lazy to add that in so oh well lol  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, I seriously recommend reading this one! Like legit made me cry the ending was so good.  
See y'all later!
> 
> ~Star


End file.
